Health Challenges on Elba Island: Innovation, Prevention, and Telemedicine at the Heart of the THE Project

Elba Island is emerging as a laboratory of innovation for Tuscany’s healthcare system, with a particular focus on the integration of local services, prevention, and new forms of teleassistance. These will be the central themes of the conference “Health Challenges on Elba Island: Perspectives and Early Results of the THE Project”, scheduled for Saturday, 25 October 2025 at 9:00 a.m. at Hotel Airone in Portoferraio (LI).

The event is part of the THE – Tuscany Health Ecosystem Project, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) under the Ecosystems of Innovation program, and jointly developed by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and ASL Toscana Nord Ovest, in collaboration with the Fondazione Elba. The initiative aims to foster dialogue among institutions, healthcare professionals, researchers, and community representatives on how technological innovation and new prevention models can concretely improve health in island and inland communities.

Following the institutional greetings by Maria Letizia Casani, Tiziano Nocentini, Fabio Chetoni, and Patrizia Lupi, the conference will open with a session dedicated to the role of inland areas as innovation laboratories. Among the speakers will be Sabina Nuti, Andrea Lenzini, Guido Vagheggini, Paolo Marzorati, Alberto Giannoni, and Filippo Quattrone, who will discuss how service integration and citizen engagement can make healthcare more efficient and closer to local needs.

Two sessions will then focus on prevention, addressing both young people and adults. Nicola Spezia will present the findings of the Youth Observatory, while Alberto Giannoni will illustrate a project for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in schools. Vera Benedetto and Carmine Di Muro will share experiences on community-based cancer multi-screening programs and initiatives promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

The fourth session will be devoted to telemedicine and technological innovation for chronic disease management, featuring Alessandro Iala, Luca Valcarenghi, Alberto Giannoni, who will present the digital models tested on Elba Island to improve continuity of care for chronic patients.

The event will conclude with a round table discussion, “Barriers, Actions and Proposals for a Shared Health Strategy on Elba Island”, bringing together regional and local institutional representatives and members of the Elba third sector to discuss future perspectives for the island’s public health.

Participation is free of charge, upon registration at the following link:
👉 https://forms.office.com/e/RHPf2iqhJn